A single-strand necklace of 203 pearls, approximately 1.4 to 7.2 mm, in which the larger pearls alternate with fine seed-pearl spacers. This light, supple construction is characteristic of late Victorian and Edwardian necklaces made for the British market. The larger pearls graduate towards the front, rising to a button-shaped central pearl of about 7 mm; their colour is light cream to cream, with good to excellent lustre and orient.

The round box clasp, in 15 and 18 carat gold, has a white-metal face with a millegrain collet holding an old European cut diamond of approximately 1.30 carats (7.2 × 7.2 × 4.0 mm; colour I/J, clarity I1/I2, graded in the mounting). At over a carat it is an unusually substantial stone for a necklace clasp, where small diamonds totalling 0.25 to 0.75 carats are more usual, and it shows the broad, lively flashes of the antique cut. A fine yellow-gold safety chain, probably a later addition, is attached to each side.

Two reports by Gemmological Certification Services, London, dated 15 September 2025 (nos. 5785-3997 and 5785-3998), identify the pearls as natural nacreous saltwater pearls with no indications of treatment. As the laboratory notes, the seed pearls under 3 mm may be natural or cultured. The diamond’s I1/I2 clarity is in the Included range: inclusions are visible under 10× magnification and may be visible to the naked eye.

The larger pearls are consistent with natural saltwater pearls historically traded from the Gulf into the London market, the source of most small and medium natural pearls reaching London and Paris before the 1920s; no laboratory can assign a specific fishery with certainty. Near the clasp they are mostly oval, cream with some greyish tones; towards the front they become button-shaped and whiter, with a rosé overtone. The date of about 1900–1925 is supported by the old European cut, the 15 carat gold (a British legal standard until 1932) and the alternating seed-pearl construction.

The necklace has descended in the family of the present owner. It belonged to the owner’s great-grandmother (d. 1975) and, according to family tradition, was formed from two earlier strands; the slight differences in shape and tone between the pearls near the clasp and those at the front are compatible with that account. No documents confirming it have been supplied.

The pearls are in very good condition, with only minor natural blemishes such as small pits, ridges and circling; no cracked, peeling or badly worn pearls are visible. The laboratory records the clasp as in very good condition, and the collet appears secure, with a crisp millegrain edge. Restringing on silk, knotted between the larger pearls, is recommended as part of the preparation for sale. Total weight 16.10 g. The exact length is to be confirmed by measurement: estimates from photographs and from the pearl count give about 65 to 85 cm, a matinee length that can be worn long or doubled.